Cozy
Noticing a big feeling and choosing a coping tool: breathe, squeeze-and-let-go, or pause
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Cozy is a soft bear cub who carries a little toolbox — but not for hammers and nails. Cozy's toolbox is full of calm-down tools. There's slow breathing, like smelling a flower and blowing out a candle. There's squeeze-and-let-go, tight then floppy. And there's pause-and-count, stop and go slow. When a feeling gets big, Cozy doesn't get rid of it — Cozy reaches for a tool.
Cozy's friend Nib the rabbit built a tall block tower, and — crash — it tumbled down. A hot, fizzy, grabby feeling rushes up in Nib, all the way to the tips of Nib's ears. Nib's paws ball up. Nib wants to throw the blocks across the room. The big feeling feels like it's driving, and Nib is just holding on.
"I know that fizzy feeling," says Cozy gently, sitting down beside Nib. "Big feelings are okay — they're allowed. And you don't have to do what the fizzy feeling says. You get to pick a tool. First we just name it: 'I feel really frustrated.' Then we choose. Want to try pause-and-count with me? We stop... and we count down slow. Five... four..."
Nib stops. "Five," says Nib shakily. "Four... three... two... one." Nib takes one slow breath. The fizzy feeling is still there — but smaller now, and Nib is the one holding it, instead of the other way around. "It's still a little fizzy," Nib says. "That's okay," says Cozy. "You don't have to feel perfect. You just gave yourself a moment. That was brave."
Nib picks up one block, then another, calm enough now to choose what to do next. "And if a feeling ever gets so big that no tool is helping," Cozy adds softly, "that's when we go find a grown-up we trust. That's a strong thing to do, not a small one." Nib nods and leans against Cozy's warm side. The tower can be rebuilt. And now Nib knows: a big feeling always passes, and there's always a tool — and always someone — to help.
The CalmCubs ensemble
Cozy is part of CalmCubs's distributed-narrative cast. Each character embodies a different curricular primitive; together they teach the full subject.
